Railroad spreader



Aug. 4, 1931. H.,W. PROTZELLER 2 RAILROAD SPREADER Filed June 6, 1929 Z ShBBtS-Shflfit 1 'A g- 1931- H. w. PROTZELLER 1,317,524

RAILROAD SPREADER "Filed June 6. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 main spreader wings.

Patented Aug. 4, 1931 UNITED STATES HARRY W. PRO'I'ZELLER, on EAST CHICAGO, INDIA7NAH,-ASS1'GN0R aroop-n' JonnAn COMPANY, or EAST CHICAGO, INDIA A, A GORPORATION or INDIANA RAILROAD Application filed June 6,

This invention relates to improvements in railroad spreaders and it consists of the mat t ers hereinafter described and more particularly pointed" out in the appended claims.

5 j Railroad Spreaders of the Jordon type inclnde a V shape spreader plow at the front end with which are associated plow wings normally disposed parallel with that portion of the spreader between said plow and the Means has heretofore been provided for raising and lowering the'plow and its associated wings as an en tirety to bring said parts into and out of operative position. With such means the 5 movement of the plowafnd its wings was .the same at both ends so that when lowered .into operative position to spread ballast previously dumped between the rails, the rear ends of the win s eonld not act to prevent the piling or rid ging up ofthe spread ballast along the outside of the rails, it being borne in mind that the bottomfedge of both the plow and plow wings were always in the same plane. I I v The primary object of the invention is to provide in a railroad spreader of this'kind, a structure wherein the rear ends of'the plow wings are capable of a greater range of movementthan the plow itself so that said rear-ends of the wings can be lowered into a position closer'to the ties on the outside of the rails so that the material being spread cannot flow nnder' thes'ame to pile up along the rail.

provide a novel connection between the rear ends of the plow wings and the plow lifting means so that in the raising and lowering of the plow and wings, a. differential in range and speed of movement is afforded between theplow and saidrear ends of said plow wing. r v

' These objects ofthe invention as well as others, together with the many advantages thereof, will more fully appear as I proceed with my specification. I

Inthe drawings r Fig. is a view in side elevation of the front plow en of a railroad spreader embodying my invention.

' Another object of [the invention is to SPREADER 1529. Serial 110,368,989.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the same on an enlarged scale as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is another transverse vertical sectional View as taken 'on'fthe' line of Referring now in detail tothat, enjbodi ment of the inventionill'ustrated in the acoompanying drawings, 1' indicates a whole, the imderframing of the car of a railroad spreader and 2 indicates thewheels of the front truck adapted for travel upon the rails 3-'3 of arailro ad' track.

y The underframing inclndeslongitudinally extending ce'nter'si'l'ls Hand side sills .5'5, the former comprising I beams and the lattercomprising channels. 6-6 indioates' the Upright front win posts to which the main spreader wingsf Jere operatively connected notonly for araising and lowering movement butalso for a swinging movement toward and 'awayfrom the sills 5-5 in the manner well "known.

Forward of the 'up'right w'ing posts and extending parallelwith, but spaced laterally from the sills 5+5 are front platform si1lls8y-8. Seonred to the frontfends of the platform sills are convergin sills 9- 9 giv- 'ing a Y fshaped appea'ranceor 'formf to the front end of the platform.- The sills-8 8 and 9-29 are operatively connected 'to the 1 center'an'd side sills4 and 5. respectively by transversely extending, front, rear andintermediate members" 101land 12 'respec-,

tivel 13" 13 indicate "the front plow plates which converge toward each other at thev front endto form the V shaped plow as a whole and which; plow plates extend parallel with andadjacent the converging sills 9-9. Associated with said I front plow plates and-connected to the rear ends of each of them, are front plow wings 14-l4 which extend parallel with and adjacent the plow sills 8-'8. Each plow wing 1414; carries a pivoted extensionplate or apron 15 to normay engage against the main spreader wing ,7. I

" Rising from the'front cross member, in

the plane of the center sills 4-4 is a pedestal comprising laterally spaced I beam sections 16-16 of substantial height and in the Web of each beam is a vertically extending slot 17. Extending through the slots 17 of the pedestal I beams, is an edgewise disposed horizontally extending lifting bar 18. The outer ends of said bar have secured to them, the top ends of vertically extending bars 19.-19 which are secured tothe inner sure faces of the front plow plates 1313. Said bars 19-19 are disposed in the planes of the rails 3-3 and in the bottom margin of each front plow plate, in said plane are notches 20-20 for said rails, whereby the major part of the bottom edges of said plow plates, may extend into a plane below the tread of said rails.

2121' indicate transversely extending levers located between the wing posts 66 and the rear cross member 11. Each lever is pivoted at its inner end to an associated side sill member 5 as at 22 and each lever is pivoted at its outer surface by an associated front plow wing 14 as at 23.

Secured to each end of the lifting bar 18 is one end of a flexible member 24 preferably in the form of a chain or cable. Each cable extends downwardly from its end on the lifting bar, to pass under an associated p ulley 25 mounted on the cross member 10.

rom said pulley, each cable passes about the top of a second pulley 26 mounted on the rear side of the cross member 11 and then extends downwardly Where its other end is secured as by a clevis 27 with an as sociated lever 21 as best shown in Fig. 4.

Mounted on the pedestal as provided by the I beams 1616 is a perpendicularly arranged, pneumatic cylinder 28, the piston rod 29 of which extends downwardly between the beams 16-16 to be securely attached to the mid portion of the lifting bar 18. It is to be understood of course'that the cylinder has associated therewith suitable piping whereby fluid under pressure may be admitted to either end of the cylinder whereby the piston rod may be raised and lowered as desired.

"When the spreader as a whole is in transport from one place of use to another, the

plow and its side wings are raised a suitable distance above the rails for clearance purpose as best shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and wherein the bottom edges of both the plow and'its side wings are disposed in a horizontal plane. desired to lower the plow and its side wings into operative position, fluid under pressure is admitted to the top end of the cylinder 28 so that the lifting bar 18 moves downwardly. This of course puts a slack in the cables 2l24 and as the cables are connected to the levers 21-21 as before described, the rear ends of thewing plates move distance However when it is faster and through a greater distance than the plow itself. Thus the bottom edges of the plow and wing plates assume a position inclined with respect to the horizontal and with the rear ends of the wing plates substantially even with the bottom of the rails as bestshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Then the plow is again raised into inoperative position, the rear end of the wing plates move faster and through a greater than the nose of the plow so that when in the highest raised position, their bottom edges are again level and in a horizontal plane.

By'this arrangement, the rear end of the plow wings preventing the material being spread from flowing under the rear ends of said wings to pile or ridge up along the rails.

The lever arrangement simple in construction and provides that differential in movement between the nose of the plow and the rear end of the plow wings so that the structure operates as and for the purpose described with but a single actuating mechanism.

\Vhile in describing the invention, I have referred in detail to the form arrangement and construction of the various parts thereof, the same is to be considered merely as illustrative so that I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 2-- 1. A railroad spreader embodying therein a car, a plow structure including a V shaped front plow and side wings connected thereto, a lifting bar connected directly to the front plow, means for imparting a raising and lowering movement to said bar, a lever pivoted at one end to the car and at the other end to the rear end of one of the side wings, and means connecting said lever and lifting bar.

2. A railroad spreader embodying therein a car, a plow structure including a V shaped front plow and side wings connected thereto, a power cylinder mounted on the front end of the car, across bar operatively connected to said plow and cylinder respectively, 1

levers each pivoted at one end to said car vand at its other end to the rear end of an associated wing, and cables connecting the cross bar with said levers.

3. A railroad spreader embodying therein a car, a plow having converging front portions and parallel side portions, a lifting bar connected to the front portions of the plow, levers pivoted at one end to the car and at their other ends to said side portions of the plow and means connecting said bar and lever and operating in the movement of the bar to impart a differential in movement between the ends of said converging front portions and said side portions.

can be disposed in a position described, is V 4. A railroad spreader embodying therein a car, a plow having converging front portions and parallel side portions, a lifting bar connected to the front portions of the plow, levers pivoted at one end to the car and at the other ends to the rear ends of said side portions and means connecting said bar and levers and operating in the lifting movement of the bar for imparting a greater movement to said rear ends of the side portions than is imparted to said converging side portions.

5. A railroad spreader embodying therein a car, a plow having converging front portions and parallel side portions, a lifting bar connected to the front portions of the plow, transversely disposed levers each pivoted at one end to a fixed front on the car and each pivoted at its other end to the rear end of an associated side portion of the plow and cables connecting said bar and lever and passing over guide sheaves on the car and operating in the movement of the lifting bar for imparting a greater movement to the rear ends of the side portions than is imparted to the front ends of said converging portions.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 1st day of June, 1929.

HARRY W. PROTZELLER. 

